[House Report 111-69]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                  Union Calendar No. 31

111th Congress, 1st Session -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - House Report 111-69



                            OVERSIGHT PLANS
                                FOR ALL
                            HOUSE COMMITTEES

                   with accompanying recommendations

                               ----------                              

                                 by the

              COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
               (Required by House Rule X, Clause 2(d)(2))

                                     


                                     

 March 31, 2009.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed
                OVERSIGHT PLANS FOR ALL HOUSE COMMITTEES

                   with accompanying recommendations
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                                                  Union Calendar No. 31

111th Congress, 1st Session -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - House Report 111-69

                            OVERSIGHT PLANS

                                FOR ALL

                            HOUSE COMMITTEES

                   with accompanying recommendations

                               __________

                                 by the

              COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

               (Required by House Rule X, Clause 2(d)(2))

                                     


                                     

 March 31, 2009.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed
              COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM

                   EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York, Chairman
PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania      DARRELL E. ISSA, California
CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York         DAN BURTON, Indiana
ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland         JOHN M. McHUGH, New York
DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio             JOHN L. MICA, Florida
JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts       MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana
WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri              TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania
DIANE E. WATSON, California          JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee
STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts      MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio
JIM COOPER, Tennessee                LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia
GERRY E. CONNOLLY, Virginia          PATRICK T. McHENRY, North Carolina
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of   BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
    Columbia                         JIM JORDAN, Ohio
PATRICK J. KENNEDY, Rhode Island     JEFF FLAKE, Arizona
DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois             JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland           JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah
HENRY CUELLAR, Texas                 AARON SCHOCK, Illinois
PAUL W. HODES, New Hampshire
CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut
PETER WELCH, Vermont
BILL FOSTER, Illinois
JACKIE SPEIER, California
STEVE DRIEHAUS, Ohio
------ ------
------ ------
------ ------

                      Ron Stroman, Staff Director
                Michael McCarthy, Deputy Staff Director
                      Carla Hultberg, Chief Clerk
                  Larry Brady, Minority Staff Director
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                            C O N T E N T S

                               __________
                                                                   Page
Recommendations..................................................     1
Agriculture......................................................     6
Appropriations...................................................    14
Armed Services...................................................    22
Budget...........................................................    61
Education and Labor..............................................    66
Energy and Commerce..............................................    71
Financial Services...............................................    79
Foreign Affairs..................................................   102
Homeland Security................................................   130
House Administration.............................................   142
Judiciary........................................................   150
Natural Resources................................................   161
Oversight and Government Reform..................................   177
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.......................   203
Rules............................................................   213
Science and Technology...........................................   227
Small Business...................................................   302
Standards of Official Conduct....................................   319
Transportation and Infrastructure................................   323
Veterans' Affairs................................................   343
Ways and Means...................................................   352

                                 (iii)

  
?

                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                                  House of Representatives,
                                    Washington, DC, March 31, 2009.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Madame Speaker:
    In accordance with Rule X(2)(d)(2) of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, I respectfully submit the oversight 
plans of each committee together with recommendations to ensure 
the most effective coordination of such plans and otherwise 
achieve the objectives of the House Rules.
                                          Edolphus Towns, Chairman.

                                  (v)

                                     
                                                  Union Calendar No. 31
111th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                     111-69

======================================================================

 
      OVERSIGHT PLANS FOR ALL HOUSE COMMITTEES WITH ACCOMPANYING 
                            RECOMMENDATIONS

                                _______
                                

 March 31, 2009.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Edolphus Towns, from the Committee on Oversight and Government 
                     Reform submitted the following

                                 REPORT



                    OVERSIGHT IN THE 111TH CONGRESS

                            RECOMMENDATIONS

                                 OF THE

              COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM

                              I. Overview

    One of Congress' main constitutional responsibilities is to 
conduct oversight to check abuses by the other branches of 
government and ensure the effective operation of our laws. As 
the Supreme Court recognized 50 years ago:

        The power of the Congress to conduct investigations is 
        inherent in the legislative process. That power is 
        broad. It encompasses inquiries concerning the 
        administration of existing laws as well as proposed or 
        possibly needed statutes.
        It includes surveys of defects in our social, economic 
        or political system for the purpose of enabling 
        Congress to remedy them. It comprehends probes into 
        departments of the Federal Government to expose 
        corruption, inefficiency or waste.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Watkins v. United States, 354 U.S. 178, 187 (1957).

    Oversight activities have uncovered significant waste, 
fraud, and abuse throughout the Federal Government. The 
Government Accountability Office (GAO), which conducts 
investigations at the request of Members of Congress, reports 
that the financial benefits from its work in fiscal year 2008 
alone totaled $58 billion.\2\ Vigilant and constructive 
oversight can identify and remedy problems in government 
agencies before they lead to national catastrophes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\U.S. Government Accountability Office, Performance and 
Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2008 (GAO 09-1SP) (Nov. 2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The 111th Congress has recognized the importance of 
oversight through an amendment to the House rules. H. Res. 40, 
adopted on January 14, 2009, requires each committee to hold at 
least three hearings annually on waste, fraud, abuse, or 
mismanagement in the programs authorized by that committee. 
Such hearings should focus on egregious cases of waste or fraud 
identified by agency Inspectors General or the GAO, and on 
issues identified by GAO as high-risk. In addition, committees 
are required to hold a hearing if agencies within their 
jurisdiction fail to receive a clean audit of their financial 
statements from GAO.
    House Rule X, Clause 2 recognizes Congress' critical 
oversight duties, establishing a process whereby each standing 
committee is required to adopt an oversight plan for that 
Congress. Under this rule, the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform is to review the various plans and, in 
consultation with the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and the 
Minority Leader, report to the House the oversight plans along 
with any recommendations that the House leadership and the 
Committee may have to ensure effective coordination.
    Pursuant to this rule, the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform has reviewed and consulted with House 
leadership about the oversight plans of the standing House 
committees for the 110th Congress. These plans outline an 
ambitious blueprint for meeting Congress' oversight 
responsibilities. The Oversight Committee has several 
recommendations regarding coordination of oversight in the 
House of Representatives.
    The committee first recommends that all committees draw on 
the wide variety of available oversight resources in their 
ongoing efforts to evaluate oversight needs and priorities. 
GAO, in particular, has vast experience both in conducting and 
evaluating the need for oversight. GAO also recently issued its 
biannual ``High Risk'' report, which identifies government 
programs that are particularly vulnerable to waste, fraud, or 
abuse.\3\ Another valuable resource for congressional oversight 
is the agency Inspectors General, who can provide guidance to 
Congress through their audit plans and individual counsel. 
Committees should also review relevant court rulings, past 
committee legislative and oversight reports, and the findings 
of other experts. An investigation by the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform found 13,847 Inspector General 
recommendations, which could have saved taxpayers $25.9 
billion, had not been implemented by agencies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\U.S. Government Accountability Office, High Risk Series: An 
Update (GAO-09-271) (Jan. 2009).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In addition, in any oversight effort, the committees should 
seek the expertise of the Committee on House Administration and 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct if any questions 
arise regarding appropriate use of House resources and the 
standards of conduct applicable to members and staff. The 
oversight plans submitted by these two committees reflect a 
commitment to ensuring that all House committees have the tools 
and guidance necessary to facilitate efficient and ethical 
oversight.
    Further, the task of ensuring accountability and 
appropriate policies on complex issues often requires the 
participation of multiple committees. Based on their respective 
jurisdictions and experience, different committees can lend 
varying types of expertise to the evaluation of a given matter. 
The oversight plans approved by the committees for the 111th 
Congress recognize that a number of key issues demand scrutiny 
by several different committees. With respect to such issues, 
the committees and subcommittees should be in close 
communication to ensure that they share the benefits of their 
findings and unique expertise, as well as to avoid duplication 
or redundancy.
    Part II below describes a few examples of important areas 
identified by committees on which these recommendations may be 
instructive.

                  II. Examples of Key Oversight Areas


                              THE ECONOMY

    The current economic situation has revealed systemic 
problems within the U.S. financial sector. Several committees 
plan to conduct historical investigations of practices that led 
to the current economic climate and pursue oversight of current 
economic rescue and recovery programs. The Committee on 
Financial Services will review a range of issues, including 
reform of the financial regulatory system and implementation of 
the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The Committee on Ways 
and Means is reviewing economic competitiveness and job 
creation. Other committees, including the Committee on 
Agriculture, Committee on Education and Labor, Committee on the 
Judiciary, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and 
Committee on Small Business, will review how to improve the 
availability of credit in the programs that they administer, as 
well as retirement and pension security. Additionally, 
committees will review executive compensation and bonus 
practices at firms receiving capital investments from 
taxpayers.
    The implementation of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act will be a major topic for oversight by nearly 
all House committees. The Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform is planning to review accountability and transparency 
measures and will conduct a series of field hearings to review 
how stimulus spending is working in states and local 
communities. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
will conduct oversight of infrastructure programs and the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce will review health information 
technology and energy efficiency programs, as will the 
Committee on Science and Technology. The scope of the stimulus 
package affects government programs under the jurisdiction of 
nearly all House committees and all plan to conduct ongoing and 
constructive oversight.

                              HEALTH CARE

    Access to quality, affordable health care is a national 
priority. Several House committees will pursue an oversight 
agenda to address issues of uninsured Americans, health care 
for children, modernizing the Medicare and Medicaid system, and 
preventing treatable chronic disease. The Committee on Energy 
and Commerce is reviewing the capacity of the Food and Drug 
Administration to ensure the safety of prescription and over 
the counter drugs, as well as reviewing the safety of the 
nation's food supply. The Committee on Ways and Means will 
focus on the delivery of health care services through the 
Medicare program. The Committee on Foreign Affairs is reviewing 
global AIDS programs, and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
will examine the Department of Veterans Affairs health care 
delivery structure.

                         ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

    Global climate change and energy efficiency and 
independence are complex and significant issues that this 
Congress will address through both oversight and legislative 
action. Accordingly, multiple committees are planning oversight 
activities to consider the impacts of global warming on our 
environment and policy options for sustainable energy. The 
Committee on Energy and Commerce is planning a broad review of 
climate change, environmental pollution and hazardous waste, 
and energy security. The Committee on Natural Resources is 
reviewing the effects of climate change on federal land, water, 
fish, and wildlife resources. The Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform is conducting oversight of project and 
contract management at the Department of Energy and Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission. And the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure will examine clean water infrastructure needs 
and water resources development projects.

                                HOUSING

    Foreclosures, predatory lending, and a lack of affordable 
housing are a major component of the current economic 
situation. The House will undertake a broad review of housing 
policy and the role of housing in the U.S. economy and in 
building livable communities. The Committee on Financial 
Services will review mortgage lending, foreclosures, and the 
availability of loan modifications. The Committee on the 
Judiciary will review allegations of predatory lending and 
mortgage fraud.

                           NATIONAL SECURITY

    National security continues to be a priority for oversight 
in the House. The Committee on Armed Services will review 
defense strategy and policy, including the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and global counter-terrorism activities. The 
Committee on Foreign Affairs will oversee U.S. foreign policy 
globally, with emphasis on critical regions including the 
Middle East. The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
will review the security situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
proliferation issues, and covert action programs.

                           HOMELAND SECURITY

    A number of committees will be conducting oversight to 
ensure the Nation is best prepared to address homeland security 
threats and domestic emergencies. The Committee on Homeland 
Security's oversight agenda includes intelligence and 
information sharing practices, transportation and border 
security, port and maritime security, and cybersecurity. The 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will oversee 
aviation and rail security and the performance of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

                            III. Conclusion

    The oversight plans approved by the standing House 
committees present a strategy for effective, sustained, and 
constructive oversight consistent with the constitutional 
mandate of Article I. The Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform will continue to work with the other House committees 
and the House leadership throughout the 111th Congress to 
promote effective congressional oversight.
    [The oversight plans of all House committees follow:]
    
    
                                 
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